By Kevin Lonnquist
NTX Varsity Sports Columnist
Sometime later Friday night, Decatur girls basketball fans and followers hope to have a celebration down in San Antonio.
While it’s been done many times before, the opportunity to win back-to-back state championships is no small feat. Top-ranked Decatur earned that chance earlier this week. Now, the Lady Eagles play for hardware again in the Alamodome.
They are scheduled to take on No. 7 Waco Midway in the Class 4A Division I state championship game. And it is a rematch. The Lady Eagles and Lady Pirates met in the 2025 championship game. Decatur won, 53-41.
In fact, the Lady Eagles’ road to the Alamodome in 2026 looks like what it looked like in 2025. La Vega will be the third-same opponent Decatur faced in 2025. The others were Seminole and Canyon in the Region I semifinals and finals respectively.
Then there’s this. Decatur has played 11 playoff games between 2025 and 2026 and won 10 of them by double figures.
There are two leaders. Senior power forward and Oklahoma State signee Bralyn Peck (17.3 ppg, 7.1 rpg) leads this team. But it’s also about execution, winning matchups and staying composed. Point guard Style Brazile (5.1 apg, 3.0 spg) has been efficient running the offense and a pest defensively.
As great as Decatur’s feat is, La Vega can claim bragging rights. It’s making its fourth consecutive state title game appearance winning titles in 2023 and 2024. This program is going for three out of four.
La Vega features senior guard and UTSA signee Rih Kinsey. She averages 20.4 points, while senior guard CeMaria Kelly averages 13.8 points per game.
Should be a lot of fun to track.
Class 4A Division I Girls State Championship
No.1 Decatur (36-4) vs. No. 7 Waco La Vega (28-11); 5:00 p.m., Friday, Alamodome, San Antonio
Decatur’s playoff road: d. Carter-Riverside, 109-13, d. Wolfforth Frenship Memorial, 61-46, d. Seminole, 47-29, d. Canyon, 62-43, d. Prosper Richland, 78-59.
Waco La Vega’s playoff road: d. Lampasas, 69-26, d. FB Willowridge, 77-42, d. Palestine, 72-35, d. FB Crawford, 80-39, d. Comal Davenport, 42-20
Winning streaks: Decatur 24, Waco La Vega 16
Fun fact: The Lady Eagles’ last loss was to Class 5A Division I state finalist Denton Ryan, which is also playing for consecutive state titles. The Lady Raiders won that game on Dec. 12, 47-43. Ryan plays Saturday.
Paradise Boys
The No. 2 Panthers are hoping they can keep the magic going on Friday as they face No. 18 Leonard in the Class 3A Division II Region II championship game. It’s 7:00 p.m. tipoff at Lewisville.
Paradise is coming off a 44-29 victory over Hooks in the regional semifinals this past Monday. Leonard slipped past Edgewood, 54-51.
At stake is a trip to state semifinals to face the Region I champion between La Mesa or Henrietta. They start at 5:30 p.m. Friday in Baird.
Paradise head coach Bo Rickner said his team must be mindful of the Tigers who aren’t shy shooting 3-pointers and limit them one shot on offensive possessions. Long rebounds leading to second shots could be a factor.
Rickner likes the offensive balance his team has shown through the first three games. In the win over Hooks, Will McGregor had 13, Cooper Jones scored 11, Cash Gibson added 10. Throw in Max Jordan’s 10 ppg playoff average, and Rickner likes where this is going.
Class 3A Boys Division II Region II Championship
No. 2 Paradise (34-2) vs. No. 18 Leonard (27-6); 7:00 p.m., Friday, Lewisville
Paradise’s playoff road: d. Village Tech, 73-57, d. Chisum, 40-24, d. Hooks, 44-29
Leonard’s playoff road: d. Paririland, 69-38, d. Cedar Hill Trinity Leadership, 73-60, d. Edgewood, 54-51
Winning streaks: Paradise 17, Leonard 14
Fun Fact: If both Paradise and Henrietta win to face each other in the state semifinals, it would be their second meeting of the season. They met in a non-district game on Nov. 18 at Henrietta. Paradise won, 44-39.